http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/rick-santorum-encircled-prayer-15541670

Revelation 13:11,12,14

Prophecy is being fulfilled:

•  ”When our nation shall so abjure the principles of its government as to enact a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands with popery; it will be nothing else than giving life to the tyranny which has long been eagerly watching its opportunity to spring again into active despotism. –Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 712

• “By the decree of enforcing the institution of the Papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near.”–Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 451 

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Luke Chapter 1 v.6)  ”And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

Analysis

Luke says that Zacharias and Elizabeth where both righteous before God.

In the Greek, the word for righteous is “dikaios” which means: eqitable,innocent,just,meet, right,faultless,guiltless.

So Righteousness is simply doing what is right, being innocent of any wrong, eqited,faultless, guiltless. This is what Zacharias and Elizabeth were– innocent, faultless, guiltless before God.

The question is–How were they guiltless before God?

Luke explains: they were walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. When one can not be blamed, then one is essentially innocent, guiltless right? So, in the eyes of God ,one is blameless or innocent when they are walking in all of HIS commandments and ordinances.

In other words, for one to be truley innocent in the eyes of God, one must be perfectly obedient to HIS WILL.

Many pastors are teaching that Obedience to the LAW is legalism. This could not be further from the truth or the doctrine upheld by both the Prophets and the Apostles.

David wrote in Psalm 40:8 that “I delight to do thy will O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

God’s will or HIS wants are found in HIS law ( Exodus 20:1-17 and Matthew 22:37-40)

Zacharias and Elizabeth were not being legalistic, they were simply doing what God wanted them to do. Is there anything wrong with that?

“And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

So here we are:

Righteousness= Perfect obedience to ALL of God’s commandments

This means that– on the other hand:

Unrighteousness= disobedience to ALL of God’s commandments 

James 2:10 says ” For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. “

In the eyes of God, if we break one of his commands, it’s as if we’ve broke them all. For example,the thief and the murder, though guilty of two separate and distinct crimes, are both essentially guilty of breaking the same law of the land and ultimately find themselves caring out their sentence in the same place. The same applies to the Law of Heaven.

Again:

Righteousness= Perfect obedience to ALL of God’s commandments

Perfect Obedience to the will of God is a key component to our earthly happiness, spiritual growth and soon coming salvation,yet… as we will see in the next verse, Perfect Obedience is nothing if we are not excersising Perfect Faith.

Luke Chapter 1 v.5) “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. “

Analysis

Luke goes on to tell us a little more about Zacharias background. The first thing he mentions is that he was a priest out of the course of Abia or Abijah.

When God gave the role of priest to Aaron and his sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, according to Hebrew tradition,Moses divided Eleazar and his sons and Ithamar and his sons into courses or groups. The purpose of these groups was to equally distribute the burden of maintaining and conduction the sanctuary service. Eleazar had 4 courses and Ithamar had 4 courses, 8 in all. Each course would take conduct the sanctuary duties for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath, then pass the duties on to another course. It was a lot like how sifts rotate at jobs today.

When Samuel became judge over Israel, according to Hebrew tradition, he divided the priesthood again, this time into 16 courses, 8 groups from each blood line.

In the final days of King David’s reign, the Levites were divided into sets once again. This time, due to their multiplication,they were divided into 24 courses (1 Chr 24:1,4,10). Abijah was the head of one of these 24 priestly families, his being the 8th among the 24.This order lasted up until the Hebrews went into Babylonian captivity.

When the Jews came out of their captivity 70 years later, only a remnant of priest returned, 4 courses in all (Ezra 2:34-39), and the family course of Abijah was not among them. The prophets that were with the returning captives once again divided these 4 sets into 24 courses, and gave them the original 24 names. Within each course were 24 men, 12 of which kept the duties of the sanctuary for the week assigned while the other 12 gave themselves to fasting and prayer. This order lasted up until the days of Zacharias, who was one of these 24 priest in the course of Abijah.

Note: Zacharias was a part of the course, not the family of Abijah. why was this detail mentioned by Luke?  It’s ironic to note that the name Abijah simply means = “my father is Jah”. Again, ingrained in the names we find another symbolic reference to the coming of God’s son.

Luke also tells us that Zacharias had a wife, Elizabeth. She is said to be “of the daughters of Aaron” ,which means the two of them were related. This was not uncommon in the Hebrew economy, specifically the priesthood. Many believed that, in order to keep the bloodline unpolluted to maintain its dignity, members of the tribe must only marry within the family tree. This was not a requirement but merely a costume, which we see was observed by Zacharias and Elisabeth.

Elizabeth’s name means = “my God is a vow”. Now if we play a little name game and put both the meanings of Zacharias and Elisabeth together we get = “The Lord remembers He is a vow” or “The Lord remembers His vow”. This is amazing! Each name given in this single verse bares some sort of reference to the coming of Christ.

• Herod: Hero

• Zacharias: the Lord Remembers

• Abia: My Father is Jah

• Aaron: exalted, mountain of strength, messenger

• Elizabeth: My God is a vow

Each name brings into mind the fact that the Lord was about to remember his vow to the people of Israel, a people who had no rightful king upon the throne. He was about to send the one ” whose right it is” to reign” (Ezekiel 21:27). God was about to send them a true HERO, an exalted messenger, a mountain of strength. He was about to send his only begotten son, whose father would be Jah. Jehovah is salvation, Jesus the Lord.

Luke Chapter 1 v.5) “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias,“

Analysis

After Luke gives us a quick look at the political condition in Judea, he then draws our attention to the religious conditions of the nation. He goes on to tell us that there was a certain priest there whose name was Zacharias which means: The Lord remembers. Again we see the goodness of God. In a time when the Jew’s had lost all political independence, in the time of their greatest despair, the Lord still remembered the promise he had given to his chosen people. The fulness of time was here. Shiloh was soon to come. The Lord remembers.

Zacharias was a decedent of Aaron the Levite. Due to this ancestry, he was set apart from birth to be a priest, Holy to the Lord, to minister before God for Israel in the services that took place in the sanctuary.

• Exodus 28:1,41- And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest‘s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons…and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

• Numbers 3:12,9 and Numbers 1:50 – And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel…appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

From birth, the children of Levi were taught that to be a priest was a holy office and one of great responsibility, an honor that was not to be taken lightly. Sadly, there are countless accounts in scripture of priest who abused this peculiar office and tell of how the wrath of God was poured out on those who trifled with this role. ( Lev 10:1-2 and 1 Samuel 2:12-17,22-25).

The solemnity of the service done by the priest in ancient times still applies to the service done in Christ’s church today. Offices and roles given in the church should not be taken whimsically, nor should their responsibilities be trifled with. To abuse these positions of sacred trust is to bring direct reproach on the name of a Holy, sin hating God, and though He suffers long with the transgressor, He inevitably will not be mocked. He will, in His time, reprove both the open and secret violations of those who He has placed in these positions.

But let us expand the priesthood beyond the services done in the sanctuary and church. Like the Levites of old, we as Christians today are also called to be Priest, not just to the church, but to the entire world around us. The Apostle Peter says this in 1 Peter 2:9: ” But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

As Christians, we are a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. We have been called out of the darkness of this world and set apart, sanctified, and called to be a Peculiar people. Our role as peculiar priest is to shew forth praises to HIM, Christ Jesus, who has called us out of the darkness of this sin sick world into His marvelous light. We as Christians are to be lights to this planet (Matthew 5:14). Our lives are to bare witness to a degraded, degenerate world that there is power available for every member of the human family to live holy and righteous lives. We are to set the mark, be the standard, a revelation to the world that there is a God in heaven who cares about the well being of the human race. We are to shew forth His praises, we are to be peculiar in the way we talk, the way we act, the way we live, the way we think and feel, dress, eat, shop; everything about our lives, like the Levitical priest of old, is to stand out as something peculiar in this world, and when this takes place, we will shine, like a light in a dark room, illuminating the world, pointing souls to the life of the True Light of the world, Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest.

.Hebrews 4:14-16

 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Related articles

• Studies of the Gospel of Luke the Gentile.2 (rev12eleven.wordpress.com)

Luke Chapture 1 v.5) “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea:”

Analysis

verse5. Luke begins his account by saying “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea:“. Here we have a starting point. We have a king and his kingdom. A historical figure. So…Who was Herod, king of Judaea?

King Herod is known by many historians today as Herod the Great.He was the son of Antipater of Idumaea, a Edomite gentile, yet due to his close connections to Antony and Octavius of Rome, he was appointed King of Judea by the Senate in 40 B.C.

His appointment was a significant marking point in the fulfillment of prophecies pointing to the coming of the Messiah. Thousands of years prior, Jacob, while leaning upon his staff before his death uttered these words,

“  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. ” Genesis 49:10

In other words:

When it would be time for Shiloh (a epithet used by the Jews to describe the Messiah) to come, the scepter would depart from Judah, and he would have no law giver on the throne to rule.Up until this point in Jewish history, after they returned from their captivity in Babylon, the nation had no official king, but was under the leadership of the Sanhedrin, a group of the Jewish elders and the religious elite, but now, they were under the control of Rome, who had given the throne… or scepter if you will… into the hands of a non Jew for the first time in the nations existence. Talk about a sure word of prophecy (2 Pet 1:19). This was to be a sign to the diligent student of the ancient text that soon the Messiah would arrive.

Herod did not gain full control of the realm until 37 B.C due to internal feuds, but when he did, he became one of the most ruthless rulers to oversee the province. Though he built the Jews a magnificent Temple, he was hated by them. He was known as being extremely suspicious and cruel, and even went as far as attempting to kill his first wife and his two oldest sons to maintain political power. Labeled by the Roman Empire as “The King of the Jews”, we can see why he reacted the way he did to the inquiring Magi when asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2. Despite all of his mad methods to retain his domain, Herod would die in 4 A.D at the age of 70, and his kingdom would go on to be divided among his sons.

It’s beautiful how the Holy Spirit, via Luke of course, starts us off on our journey. The first thing he lays down on the table is a fact, not opinion or belief, just a fact. Here we have a historical figure (Herod the Great) whose existence is verifiable and we have a time frame (37 B.C-4 A.D). With this one fact in place as a foundational corner stone, we can trust that the next step in the journey will be as reliable and grounded as the first.

DAY

Luke Chapture 1 v. 1-4)

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;  It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,  That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

Analysis

verse 1. We see that by the time that Luke wrote his gospel, many had already laid out the order of the events that had transpired in the life of Christ and the foundational principles of the things “most surley believed” by his followers.

verse 2. Many of these who “delivered” these accounts to us were “eyewitnesses” and “ministers of the word“.

who were these eyewitnesses?

• 2 Peter 1:16  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty

(Note) According to Peter, an eyewitness knows that they are not following cunningly devised fables. They know what they have seen and nothing can change their minds. In other words, Christ wants us to not have a blind faith, but a faith founded on experience and fact. In a world of mass deception, we as Christians today must also be eyewitnesses of the power and majesty of Christ. Everyday He must become more real to us. We must have a tangible experience with our Savior, not a mere theoretical head knowledge of him.  Paul said it best “I know whom I have believed.” 2 Timothy 1:12. As we near Christ second coming, we are being attacked on every side by the enemy who is trying to make us think that we are “following cunningly devised fables”, and many are falling, victimizes by the poison of unbelief. We must have an experience on which we can rely, and experienced built on the word of God and the testimonies of men who were the eyewitnesses of verifiable facts. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. 1 John 1:2
verse 3. Luke says that even as they have presented the facts, it seemed a good thing to him that he also lay them down in a letter to Theophilus (or to us), seeing that he also had a perfect understanding of these things from the vary first.

(Note) Notice he says that he had a “perfect understanding of these things from the vary first“. This simply means that from the start of Christ ministry, he was there. He had a perfect understanding of all the events that transpired from the vary start of Christ earthly work. Here is another credible eyewitness, yet not a Jew writing about a long awaited Messiah like Peter, Matthew, Mark, John or Paul,but he was a educated Gentile, an outsider, who saw Christ work for himself and believed.

verse 4. He is writing his personal accounts of Christ life to Theophilus for one reason ,so that he would “know the certainty of those things, wherein” he had been instructed.

(Note) This Book was given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to help ground us in the faith. To help us know the CERTAINTY OF THOSE THINGS WHEREIN THOU HAST BEEN INSTRUCTED. Christ wants us, the Gentiles, to know the certain, unquestionable facts about his life and doctrine, and on these facts our faith will be able to rest. This is what the book of Luke will give us, the facts with certainty. To know the truth about what we have been taught. So this will be the goal of our study into the gospel of Luke, to find the facts that can be verified by historical records so that we can say with a certainty that Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior of all mankind .

2012!!!!!! New Year, New Studies.

It was either happenstance or divine providence that brought this about. I just happened to end my studies on the gospel of Mark right at the end of December. Talk about good timing right! So this year, as I continue my quest to chip my way verse by verse through the four gospel accounts, I get to began a new study into the gospel of Luke, a book that I never really gave much notice to until now, so…. I decided that hey, why not bring you all along for the ride. I’m sure we’ll uncover some new facts, rediscover some old truths, and eat some good old spiritual bread as we dive, verse by verse into the Gospel of Luke the Gentile.

Back Drop

• Luke was the only Gentile to write a gospel account. While Matthew, Mark and John were all Jews who wrote their accounts from a Hebrew perspective, Luke on the other hand was a Greek who analyzed things outside of the Jewish “exclusive/separatist” mind state, a mind state that sadly plagued much of the early church during the 1st century A.D. (see Galatians 2:11-14) We can conclude from this that, the gospel account as given by Luke, was Christ gift to the unlearned gentile nations, new borns in the faith if you will and unlearned in the Jewish economy, customs and faith.

• According to the 2nd century Muratorian Fragment , we discover that Luke was a physician from Antioch. We also discover from scripture that he was a life long companion of  the Apostle Paul. (see Philemon 23 and 24; 2 Timothy 4:11) Many believe that he also was the author of the book of The Acts Of The Apostles.

• The book that we know as Luke was actually a letter. It was written by Luke to a man by the name of Theophilus some time around A.D 63. According to the church historian Tertullian, Luke was asked my Paul to write the letter.